Primary-side controller applied to a power converter and operational method
A primary-side controller applied to a power converter is used for controlling a frequency of a gate control signal according to a grouping mode. The primary-side controller includes a first counter, a second counter, an adjuster, a gate control signal generation circuit, and a logic circuit. The first counter generates a first signal according to the gate control signal and a predetermined number. The second counter generates a second signal according to a clock signal and the predetermined number. The adjuster determines whether to adjust the predetermined number according to the second signal, the predetermined number, and a frequency of the clock signal. The logic circuit generates a reset signal to the first counter and the second counter and an enable signal to the gate control signal generation circuit according to the first signal, the second signal, and the gate control signal.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/439,583, filed on Jan. 18, 2023. The content of the application is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a primary-side controller applied to a power converter and an operational method thereof, and particularly to a primary-side controller and an operational method thereof that can control a frequency of a gate control signal of a power converter according to a grouping mode.
2. Description of the Prior ArtIn the prior art, when a power converter (e.g. an asymmetric half-bridge (AHB) power converter or an active-clamp flyback (ACF) power converter) operates in a critical conduction mode (CRM), the power converter can implement zero-voltage (or low-voltage) switching and has lower switching loss. However, if the power converter only operates in the critical conduction mode, a frequency of a gate control signal (corresponding to a main switch of a primary side of the power converter) will be increased with decrease of a load, resulting in switching loss and core loss of a transformer of the power converter being increased to make the power converter have lower conversion efficiency when the load is light. However, if let the power converter operate in a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) when the load is light, although the frequency of the gate control signal can be reduced, the power converter will lose a characteristic of zero-voltage (or low-voltage) switching. Nowadays, in high-frequency applications, even if the power converter operates in the discontinuous conduction mode when the load is light, the frequency of the gate control signal is still high (e.g. 150 KHz), and thus the power converter will have higher switching loss to cause the main switch to heat up when the load is light.
Therefore, how to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art has become an important issue of a designer of a primary-side controller.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn embodiment of the present invention provides a primary-side controller applied to a power converter, wherein the primary-side controller controls a frequency of a gate control signal according to a grouping mode. The primary-side controller includes a first counter, a second counter, an adjuster, a gate control signal generation circuit, and a logic circuit. The first counter is used for generating a first signal when a number of multiple gate control signals is equal to a predetermined number. The second counter is used for generating a second signal when a number of multiple clock signals is equal to the predetermined number. The adjuster is coupled to the second counter, wherein the adjuster detects a frequency of the multiple clock signals and decides whether to adjust the predetermined number according to the second signal, the predetermined number, and the frequency of the multiple clock signals. The gate control signal generation circuit is used for generating the multiple gate control signals. The logic circuit is coupled to the first counter, the second counter, and the gate control signal generation circuit, wherein the logic circuit generates a reset signal to the first counter and the second counter and an enable signal to the gate control signal generation circuit accord to the first signal, the second signal, and a last gate control signal of the multiple gate control signals.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an operational method of a primary-side controller applied to a power converter, wherein the primary-side controller includes a first counter, a second counter, an adjuster, a gate control signal generation circuit, and a logic circuit. The operational method includes starting group counting of gate control signals; if an average switching frequency determined by a predetermined number and a frequency of multiple clock signals is greater than a predetermined frequency range when a number of multiple gate control signals is equal to the predetermined number and a number of the multiple clock signals is equal to the predetermined number; and adjusting the predetermined number when the average switching frequency is less than the predetermined frequency range.
The present invention provides a primary-side controller applied to a power converter and an operational method thereof. The primary-side controller and the operational method can control a frequency of a gate control signal according to a grouping mode, wherein one of multiple gate control signals in the same group corresponds to a discontinuous conduction mode and other gate control signals of the multiple gate control signals correspond to a critical conduction mode. Therefore, compared to the prior art, the present invention can make the power converter not only realize zero-voltage (or low-voltage) switching when a load is heavy, but also reduce an average switching frequency to increase conversion efficiency of the power converter when the load is light.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
Please refer to
In addition, please refer to
-
- Step 300: Group counting of the gate control signal GCSM start.
- Step 302: A number of multiple gate control signals GCSM is equal to a predetermined number N; if yes, go to Step 304; if no, go to Step 310.
- Step 304: A number of multiple clock signals CLK is equal to the predetermined number N; if yes, go to Step 306; if no, go to Step 304 again.
- Step 306: If an average switching frequency determined by the predetermined number N and a frequency of the multiple clock signals CLK falls within a predetermined frequency range; if yes, go to Step 300; if no, go to Step 308.
- Step 308: Adjust the predetermined number N, go to Step 300.
- Step 310: Generate the gate control signal GCSM according to a first valley of a drain voltage VDS of the main switch 102 or an enable signal EM, go to Step 302.
Take the predetermined number N being equal to 3 as an example:
In Step 300, please simultaneously refer to
In Step 304 to Step 308, as shown in
Then, in Step 310, please simultaneously refer to
Any a configuration of a logic circuit in which the above-mentioned functions of the logic circuit 210 can be realized falls within the scope of the present invention. In addition, timings of the first signal FC, the second signal SC and the clock signal CLK can be referred to
In addition, one of skilled in the art should know to realize effect of zero-voltage switching through the gate control signal GCSA which is used for controlling turning-on of the auxiliary switch 104, and the gate control signal generation circuit 208 transmits the gate control signal GCSA to a gate of the auxiliary switch 104 through a pin GA of the primary-side controller 200.
Therefore, as shown in
In addition, take the predetermined number N being equal to 2 as an example:
In Step 300, please simultaneously refer to
In Step 304 to Step 308, as shown in
Then, in Step 310, please simultaneously refer to
In addition, take the predetermined number N being equal to 1 as an example:
In Step 300, please simultaneously refer to
In Step 304 to Step 308, as shown in
Then, in Step 310, please simultaneously refer to
In addition, take the load being heavy and the predetermined number N being equal to 3 as an example:
In Step 300, please simultaneously refer to
In Step 304 to Step 308, as shown in
Then, in Step 310, please simultaneously refer to
To sum up, the primary-side controller and the operational method thereof can control the frequency of the gate control signal according to the grouping mode, wherein one of multiple gate control signals in the same group corresponds to the discontinuous conduction mode and other gate control signals of the multiple gate control signals correspond to the critical conduction mode. Therefore, compared to the prior art, the present invention can make the power converter not only realize zero-voltage (or low-voltage) switching when the load is heavy, but also reduce the average switching frequency to increase conversion efficiency of the power converter when the load is light.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A primary-side controller applied to a power converter, wherein the primary-side controller controls a frequency of a gate control signal according to a grouping mode, the primary-side controller comprising:
- a first counter for generating a first signal when a number of multiple gate control signals is equal to a predetermined number;
- a second counter for generating a second signal when a number of multiple clock signals is equal to the predetermined number;
- an adjuster coupled to the second counter, wherein the adjuster detects a frequency of the multiple clock signals and decides whether to adjust the predetermined number according to the second signal, the predetermined number, and the frequency of the multiple clock signals;
- a gate control signal generation circuit for generating the multiple gate control signals; and
- a logic circuit coupled to the first counter, the second counter, and the gate control signal generation circuit, wherein the logic circuit generates a reset signal to the first counter and the second counter and an enable signal to the gate control signal generation circuit accord to the first signal, the second signal, and a last gate control signal of the multiple gate control signals.
2. The primary-side controller of claim 1, wherein the gate control signal generation circuit generates the gate control signal according to a first valley of a drain voltage of a main switch of a primary side of the power converter or the enable signal.
3. The primary-side controller of claim 2, wherein the first valley corresponds to a critical conduction mode (CRM), and the enable signal corresponds to a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM).
4. The primary-side controller of claim 1, wherein the primary-side controller is installed at a primary side of the power converter.
5. The primary-side controller of claim 1, wherein the power converter is an active-clamp flyback (ACF) power converter, or an asymmetric half-bridge (AHB) flyback power converter, or a quasi-resonance flyback power converter, or a zero-voltage switching flyback power converter.
6. The primary-side controller of claim 1, further comprising:
- an oscillator coupled to the second counter and the adjuster, wherein the oscillator generates the multiple clock signals according to a feedback compensation voltage.
7. The primary-side controller of claim 1, wherein one of the multiple gate control signals corresponds to a discontinuous conduction mode and other gate control signals of the multiple gate control signals correspond to a critical conduction mode.
8. The primary-side controller of claim 1, wherein when an average switching frequency determined by the predetermined number and the frequency of the multiple clock signals is less than 20 KHz, the adjuster reduces the predetermined number, and when the average switching frequency is greater than 20 KHz, the adjuster increases the predetermined number.
9. The primary-side controller of claim 1, wherein the multiple gate control signals are pulse width modulation (PWM) signals.
10. An operational method of a primary-side controller applied to a power converter, wherein the primary-side controller comprises a first counter, a second counter, an adjuster, a gate control signal generation circuit, and a logic circuit, the operational method comprising:
- starting group counting of gate control signals;
- if an average switching frequency determined by a predetermined number and a frequency of multiple clock signals is greater than a predetermined frequency range when a number of multiple gate control signals is equal to the predetermined number and a number of the multiple clock signals is equal to the predetermined number; and
- adjusting the predetermined number when the average switching frequency is less than the predetermined frequency range.
11. The operational method of claim 10, further comprising:
- starting the group counting of the gate control signal again when the average switching frequency is greater than the predetermined frequency range.
12. The operational method of claim 10, further comprising:
- the gate control signal being generated according to a first valley of a drain voltage when the number of the multiple gate control signals is less than the predetermined number.
13. The operational method of claim 12, wherein the first valley corresponds to a critical conduction mode.
14. The operational method of claim 10, further comprising:
- continuously counting the clock signals when the number of the multiple gate control signals is equal to the predetermined number and the number of the multiple clock signals is less than the predetermined number.
15. The operational method of claim 10, further comprising:
- generating the gate control signal according to an enable signal when the number of the multiple gate control signals is equal to the predetermined number and the number of the multiple clock signals is equal to the predetermined number.
16. The operational method of claim 15, wherein the enable signal corresponds to a discontinuous conduction mode.
17. The operational method of claim 10, wherein one of the multiple gate control signals corresponds to a discontinuous conduction mode and other gate control signals of the multiple gate control signals correspond to a critical conduction mode.
18. The operational method of claim 10, wherein when the average switching frequency is less than 20 KHz, the adjuster reduces the predetermined number and when the average switching frequency is greater than 20 KHz, the adjuster increases the predetermined number.
19. The operational method of claim 10, wherein the multiple gate control signals are pulse width modulation signals.
| 9991803 | June 5, 2018 | Wang |
| 20170324345 | November 9, 2017 | Stuler |
| 20200287457 | September 10, 2020 | Su |
Type: Grant
Filed: Jan 9, 2024
Date of Patent: Jan 6, 2026
Patent Publication Number: 20240243653
Assignee: Leadtrend Technology Corp. (Hsinchu County)
Inventors: Chao-Chih Lin (Hsinchu County), Ming-Chang Tsou (Hsinchu County)
Primary Examiner: Jue Zhang
Application Number: 18/407,488